Chapter 108

Chapter 108: Chapter 108

Ruoxi wandered around the palace aimlessly, restlessly. It was the fifth day since Dulce’s departure, and although he knew that the Vampire wasn’t in danger, he could hardly sit still.

He had spent most of the past day in the garden watching Caedos run in endless circles around the oasis. Watching the Hellhound grow more restless with each passing day did little to ease his own troubles.

So although he promised Dulce to keep an eye on the Hellhound, he had ditched him endlessly running through the desert to do something else, anything else.

It was strange, the Vampire was mostly quiet and calm so there was little change in the atmosphere but there was a growing listlessness that was impossible to ignore. He was far from hungry, the servants Dulce arranged before his departure were eager to serve. And he could still go well past another week before he would need to ’eat’.

After going through all the reasons why the Vampire’s absence would feel this debilitating and not finding an answer, he instead chose to distract himself by exploring the palace.

In his wandering around, he came across a locked room, the perfect distraction. At any other time, he might have paid no mind to it, but this time, he did, warping to the other side.

The sudden brightness was startling, for a moment, he thought he had mistakenly gone completely outside the palace. But the ceiling was just made of glass, an impressive feat of architecture.

It was a strange room, there was only a single large bed in the center of the room, and at the foot of the bed was an elaborate stand built to hold something important, but it was now empty.

Before he could move closer to get a better look, he sensed the unmistakable aura of the opening of a portal from the Hells. Without a second thought, he warped to the point it was coming from, unsurprised to see Caedos already there, the Hellhound wearing a dark expression.

Ruoxi scowled when Asael stepped out of the portal, some of his heavy disappointment easing when he saw how wretched the Shadow Demon looked. He could even smile, "Back so soon?"

Asael glared at the Incubus, uninterested in being his entertainment. He had returned to Noctyrn with plans to sleep. He had already gone an incredibly long time without sleeping, and he had hoped that his strange affinity for the Vampire would dissipate after proper sleep.

He had been chasing clarity, deciding that he was just sleep-deprived, only to return home and spend days rolling around in bed, completely unable to do so much as catch a wink of sleep.

"Where’s Dulce?" He asked darkly.

"Why? Want your contract undone?" Ruoxi asked in turn, there was a spark of wit in his eyes but it didn’t completely cover the hope in his voice.

Asael ignored the question, looking around. If Caedos and Ruoxi were here to greet him, it meant that Dulce was still in the Hells with Kath’tan. He easily deduced that, yet he hoped to hear otherwise.

"Where’s Dulce?" He repeated without inflection.

"In the Hells," Caedos was the one to give him a direct answer, the gloomy Hellhound warping away in the next moment.

Asael clicked his teeth despite already knowing the answer to his own question. Staying on Earth was unsatisfying but it was better than the dreariness of his own home.

"Since you’re here anyway why don’t you spar with Caedos?" Ruoxi grumbled, knowing deep down that there was no getting rid of the other pesky Demons. "The dog is very close to breathing fire on everything."

Even as he said that, he turned to head for the gardens which had a clear view of the ring of dust Caedos left behind as he ran. The strange room he had just been in temporarily forgotten - Dulce had a lot of exquisite and unique possessions, the only thing strange about the room was its peculiar ceiling and the sparseness of it.

Asael paused for a moment before going after Ruoxi - he might as well keep himself occupied. A Hellhound was bound to be a great opponent, perhaps he would be able to tire himself out and eventually fall asleep.

He warped directly in the path of the Hellhound after they had gotten outside the palace, the sun was blazing overhead but it was gentle in comparison to the suns of Flaeris.

Caedos spotted him easily and slowed down in time, huffing out plumes of black smoke, his eyes two balls of flames.

Asael stared up at the monstrous Demon, black shadows crawling up his hands from his fingertips. "What do you say to a spar?"

The Hellhound’s beast form fell away amidst dust and black smoke, revealing a shirtless Caedos. He wore familiar tattered dark green pants that didn’t look to be made from any normal material.

"Can I shift?" He asked simply, his voice quiet.

"Sure," Asael agreed, brimming with restless energy. Unlike his scuffle with Kath’tan, there was no killing intent. Although it was difficult to differentiate that from the focused look Caedos wore.

On the oasis, Ruoxi squinted as both Demons charged, he had hoped to watch a show from the comfort of the oasis, under the shelter of palm trees but they had sent sand and dust sky high on their first attack, completely obscuring his visibility.

With a belly full of complaints, he warped out into the desert, at safe distance so as not to get pulled into their mess. The sun was blazing and the arid air was unpleasant but the view made it more than worth it.

Asael had been in many fights, few compared to his kills, but enough to have a wide experience, yet, he was forced to focus right from the start. Caedos was completely unpredictable, even in human form, he still lunged like a beast, his claws and fangs deadly.

The Hellhound was fast, so fast he didn’t even need to warp, closing the distance in a flash. His shadows were malleable in his hands, constantly changing, from a shadowy staff to sweep Caedos off his feet to a shield arcing around him when the Hellhound recovered almost instantly into an attack.